Hot-gas piston engine with power output control



y 8, 1952 H. RlNlA ETAL 2,602,288

HOT-GAS PISTON ENGINE WITH POWER OUTPUT CONTROL Filed Aug. 51, 1945 Wn/70R ATTORA/f Y 'is to provide means for adjusting Patented July 8,1?52 v a v i i nor-GAS PISTON ENGINE WITH POWER OUTPUT ooNTRoL HerreRinia and Heinrich de Brey, Eindhoven, Netherlands, assignors toHartford National Bank & Trust 00., Hartford, Conn, as trusteeApplication August 31, 1945, SerialNo'. 613,947

In the Netherlands March 5, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8,1943 Patent expires March 5, 1963 4 Claims.

. or otherwise, such as in irregularly valued predetermined increments.V

A hot-gas engine is to be understood to mean a thermodynamicpowermachine in which a thermodynamic cycle is'traversed by an amount of gasenclosed in space-forming means having a variable volume. .Thisspace-forming means contains a heating portion or is in opencommunication with a heating portion and, if desired, with a regeneraton.Alsoa cooling portion may be included but itis either located in'asecond space or in open communication with a second space having avariable volume. The space adjoining the heating portion is termed hotspace or chamber and that adjoining the cooling portion is termed coldspace or chamber. 7

A portionof theamount f gas'enclosed in the said spaces, if desired, maybe admitted into one or more separate closed tubes'or vessels andafterwards readmitted into the said spaces from one or aplurality ofthese tubes or vessels. In all these cases the thermodynamic cycleistermed a "closed cycle. y I

If desired, the cooling portion of the engine may be omitted andreplaced by a periodic communication with the atmosphere; in which casea new amount of air is drawn in for each cycle. Such motors are termedopen cycle engines. With open cycle engines as 'well as with closedcycle engines there exists between the variations in volume of the hotand the cold spaces a phase difierence which is suchthat the gasis'subjected consecutively to heating, expansion, cooling andcompression. v

Previous hot-gas engines did-not provide any way of regulating itsoutput by altering the characteristics of the thermal cycleof theseengines.

Therefore, a principal object of this invention the output of a hot-gasengine.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will, in part, beobvious and, in part, will appear more clearly hereafter.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 shows a schematic viewin elevation of oneembodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 2 shows a similar view of another embodiment of the invention.

Generally speaking, this invention contemplates means for varying themechanical power output of a hot-gas engine by varying the amount of gasmedium within the usual cold chamber or chambers in each cycle of engineoperation. Broadly characterized the invention accomplishes thisdesirable result by selectively coupling one or more normally inactivespaces or initially thermally inert chambers with a cold chamber. Inorder to realize this function in more detail, the invention utilizeseither one or more chambers or cylinders connectible or coupled to theparallel walls of the engine cylinder through conduit or connectivemeans, and in the'event only one cylinder or chamber is used, a plunger,pistonor selective means is inserted therein whereby the volume of thecold chamber can be efiectively'in- V creased in steps totaling onegreater than-the number of movements of the selective" means. However,if a plurality of distinct chambers are used, more than one conduit orconnective means must be joined at a juncture provided'with selectivemeans in the form of special valve means. Of

course, a main conduit must be joined to." the elevation becausemechanical details are 'unnecessary for an understanding ofthisinvention.

The engine includes a cylinder I; in which a hot piston or a displacerpiston 2 and a working piston 3 can move. An engine. shaft 4 of theengine is connected to the working piston 3 via the crank 5 and thedriving rod 6. In ordergto obtain the phase displacement between themotions of displacer piston 2; and working piston 3, which is necessaryfor the operation" of] the motor, the

imotion of displacer piston2' 'is derived from the motion of workingpiston 3 through a lever system. To this end, a lever I at a point A isconnected to the driving rod 6 and also coupled to one arm. of aknee-leverB. This lever 8 can turn about a fixed point B and isconnected at its other end, via coupling element 9, to the driving rodll) of displacer piston'2, driving rod Ill being led in a gas-tightmanner through an aperture provided in working piston 3; Cylinder I issurrounded respectively by a heater I I, a regenerator l2, and a coolerl3. The medium can pass from a, hot space I4 of the motor to a coldspace or chamber l5,solely through these members. By

means of a conduit or connectivev means It, cold space I communicateswith space I! of variable volume in a cylinder 18, whose contents arevaria-r ble in steps by means of a piston I9. Moving this piston more orless far in cylinder 1 fl-results in a decrease or an increase of thevolumeof the clearance space of the motor, due to which its,

output is increased or reducedwith otherwise unvaried conditions.

Fig. 2 shows another form of construction of the motor according to theinvention. "In-this case the motor proper is constructed'in the samemanner as in Fig. 1 so that a description thereof may be omitted. Bymeans of a conduit or connective means 20, cold space l5 communicateswith auxiliary spaces or distinct chambers 2! and 22, the volumes ofwhich may vary from each other,. if .desired and- :which together oreach separatelytmay,beybrought in communication with theworkingspace .15of the motor by means-.1. of a three-way cockor selective ;means .2 3"having channels 24 i-WhiCh may selectively be interconnectedwithjconduitsifi of chambers 2! and .22, respectively. The advantage ofthis form .of constructionrover that shown in Fig. 1 is that .thevvariationof volume. of the-spaces -to be added.to-the.motoriinvolvesypractically no work. 'It is 7 will readily-be;apparent to those skilled in the art.

"Whatgweclai-m-is: 1.;In, allot-gas engine; ,cylinder means, a'displacer(and: aj-piston mounted 1 in said cylinder meansjforreciprocatory;:movement therein, a common crankshaftizimeans linkingsaid displacer and saidpiston1 to said crankshaft i for. permitting.reciprocatory; movement .of i said displacer and said pistongQOioutofphasewithrespect to. each other,: a rworkingmold .chamberidefined in;part by. said clisplacerland said piston; a. plurality1of :distinctchambers: in .an initially neutral energy state, main connective meanscoupled to: said .cold

chambena plurality :of connective means interposed between saidmainconnective meansand said-idistinct chambers to form ajuncturerselectivevalvemeans placed'at said juncture, said valve :meanshaving a plurality of ports therein 1 and beingmovable toa plurality ofpositions for selectively-connecting said main connective means toan'yor all of said plurality-of connective means whereby the volume of-saidcold chamber can be effectively increased in steps to so vary thethermal loss'.

2. ;In-'a hotfgasengine, cylinder means, a dis- --Workoutput-of thehot-gas ngine'with minimal placer-and'apiston mounted in said cylindermeans *for reciprocatorymovement therein, a

-common crankshaft, meanslinking said'displace'r '4 and said piston tosaid crankshaft for permitting reciprocatory movement of said displacerand saidpiston 90?. out of phase withrespect to each fotheiiacQIdr-space defi'ndiin part by said dis- 5 placer and said piston, aplurality of initially .thermally inert chambers, a main engine con-"duit connected to said cold space, a plurality offsupplementaryconduits each of said supplemen- 1 -tary conduitsconnected at one end to one of said 10 chambers and at the other endjoined to said -main conduitat a common juncture, and selectivevalvemeans movable within said juncture, said selective valve meanscomprising a movable element having aplurality of connective passages5-i which are movable to a plurality of positions for selectivelyconnecting said main engine conduit to..any..or;l'all of said pluralityof supplementary conduits whereby the clearance of said engine iseffectively adjustable in various stages to so vary the work output ofthe hot-gas engine with minimal thermalloss. j

3.;7Inyathotegaslenginercylindermeans, a: displacer rand a piston.mounted in. said cylinder means'sforg reciprocatory movement .therein, acommon crankshaft, means. linking said displacer and-said-piston-to.,said crankshaft for permitting reciprocatory" movement;v of. saiddisplacerf .and said piston'QO out of phasewithrespect'to each other,aworking,chamber definedin .part by said displacerand .said piston a.cylinder, defining a second chamber :and, arrangedliaii jacent. to.said working: chamber, engine A gas l'conduit .means from saidcylindertosaid working chamber, and piston means. within said cylinderforproducing. a seriesrof volumes additive .to the varying volumeswithinthe-said chambers pto-so vary the work output of,the,.hot',-gas..,engine withxminimal thermallloss. H 7 1 4; In. ahotrgasengine, fcylinder means, a vdis- 40 placer'...and a, pistonmounted. said. cylinder means for reciprocatory movement therein,., .acommon crankshaft-,,means,linking saidldisplacer andlsaid pistonwtolsaidcrankshaft for. permitting reciprocatory..movement. of. said displacerand said pistorrQOi ours: phase withcrespect to each other, a cold;chamberflde'fined...-in, part byv said dis'placer ,and .,said ,piston,separate chamber means? for confining a volume of gas, located. ex vternally of said cylinder means meansfor-con- Meeting. said v.chamber"means with said cold chamber,. and ameansnrfo'r Varying the effectivevolume of, sai'd lchambcr. means.

eHERREtaiNIA. THEINRICH 1m BREY.

' assessme t-ms,

lTheffollowingz: referencesvare of records sin the idle ofz'th-ispatent: 1'

g H ,UNITEDS'ITATES PATENTS.

Number :Nar'ne -JDat'e 1,505,101 ;Davidson; Angelo, 1924 5793.82iRsiesnerg; Apr.'-6,'i1926

